National PODs Feature Service (Dataset)

Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) are a tool for strategic planning and coordinating responses to wildfire on large landscapes. They are a spatial representation of how land and fire managers view the landscape. Simply put, a POD is a spatial container for fire bounded by relevant control features. Managers configure PODs to highlight key differences in potential fire impacts to valued natural resources and structural assets and according to variation in the biophysical characteristics that influence fire occurrence and behavior. To form POD boundaries, local fire managers select plausible control features such as roads, ridgetops, and fuel transitions where firefighters can safely, efficiently, and effectively engage fires. PODs are typically developed collaboratively by agencies responsible for responding to fires on adjacent lands. This process builds a shared understanding of how they can collectively respond to large fires. 

PODs can be classified into feasible wildfire response options that prioritize safety and consider resource and landscape management objectives. 

The National PODs Feature Service

Growing adoption of PODs within the USDA Forest Service and other agencies elevated the need for a coordinated solution for data management. The USDA Forest Service Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) Strategic Analytics Branch led the effort to develop the standardized National PODs Feature Service to make them accessible and easy to use. Their staff manages the national dataset to ensure data stewards adhere to the data standards and coordinate effectively on PODs development and revisions.

The National PODs Feature Service is the authoritative depiction of PODs across all lands as provided by the local data creators. It is a geospatial dataset that includes POD Polygon and Polyline data layers. POD Polygons represent areas, while POD Polylines depict linear features that form the boundaries of those areas. Each polygon and polyline have a set of standardized data attributes approved by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) geospatial data committee that document basic identifying information and key characteristics.

The National PODs Feature Service is a living dataset. Authorized users can edit existing PODs or create new PODs. Once local managers establish PODs, for example on a National Forest, and ensure their POD data meets the national standards, they upload it to the National PODs Feature Service. Instantly, that data become viewable in the RMA Dashboard, WFDSS NextGen, and any other wildfire decision support maps that consume the service.

As of 2025, PODs have been developed on more than 80 fire-prone National Forests and other, state, Department of Interior, and Tribal lands across the western U.S., providing utility for planning, communication and outreach, mitigation prioritization, and incident response strategy development. Access the latest PODs summaries here.

Purpose

The National PODs Feature Service establishes consistent definitions and usage of PODs data across interagency wildland fire management. It makes standardized PODs data viewable on decision support systems used by fire managers during wildfire incident response nationwide.

Applicability and Overview